SAPPORO, Japan, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Germany gave the shudders to the other World Cup finalists as the three-time champions routed Saudi Arabia 8-0 in a Group E match in which Miroslav Klose scored a hat-trick.
The Germans became the first team in 20 years to score eight in a finals match. Hungary had crushed El Salvador 10-1 in 1982 in Spain.
Klose started the scoring binge at the 20th minute, diving to head home a loose ball after his striking partner Carsten Jancker had missed a bicycle kick.
Five minutes later, Klose headed home a feed by playmaker Michel Ballack, who was nursing a bruised foot.
At the 70th minute, Klose completed the first hat-track of the tournament by heading in a Bernd Schneider cross.
Gabriel Batistuta of Argentina was the last player to score three goals in a World Cup finals match. His hat-trick came in the 5-0 defeat of Jamaica in France four years ago.
The Polish-born Klose has been in top form since a hat-trick performance in Germany's 6-2 win over Austria in their last warm-up game.
Ballack earlier put the Germans 3-0 ahead with a header from a Christian Ziege cross four minutes from the break and Jancker right-footed Germany's fourth goal in the first half injury time.
Three minutes after Klose hit his third goal and Germany's fifth, Bayern Munich defender Thomas Linke headed the Germans 6-0 ahead.
German veteran striker Oliver Bierhoff made it 7-0 at the 84th minute and Bernd Schneider completed the tally in injury time.
Saudi coach Nasser Al-Johar said after the match: "Definitely we still have a chance. We promise our fans to do our best in the next two matches. It was a disastrous match for us."
Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Mohammed al-Deayea made his 169th international appearance, leaving him one short of the record held by Mexico's Claudio Suarez, according to FIFA.
Teams:
Germany (3-5-2):
1-Oliver Kahn; 21-Christoph Metzelder, 5-Carsten Ramelow (16-Jens Jeremies 46), 2-Thomas Linke; 22-Torsten Frings, 8-Dietmar Hamann, 19-Bernd Schneider, 13-Michael Ballack, 6-Christian Ziege;11-Miroslav Klose (7-Oliver Neuville 77), 9-Carsten Jancker (20-Oliver Bierhoff 67).
Saudi Arabia (4-4-2):
1-Mohammed Al-Deayea; 3-Redha Tukar, 13-Hussein Sulimani, 4-Abdullah Sulaiman, 12-Ahmed Dokhi; 16-Khamis Al-Owairan (7-IbrahimAl-Shahrani 46), 8-Mohammed Noor, 18-Nawaf Al-Temyat (14-AbdulazizAl-Khathran 46), 17-Abdallah Al-Waked; 9-Sami Al-Jaber, 20-Al-Hassan Al-Yami (15-Abdullah Jumaan 77)
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